Statement

JUF and SCN Announce Groundbreaking Intelligence Partnership to Enhance Security for Chicago’s Jewish Community

July 30, 2024 admin
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The Secure Community Network (SCN), the official safety and security organization for the Jewish community in North America, is pleased to announce a landmark partnership with the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Chicago (JUF). This collaboration significantly enhances intelligence and information sharing by embedding a dedicated full-time Intelligence Analyst within SCN’s Chicago-based National Jewish Security Operations Command Center (JSOCC), focused specifically on serving the security needs of the metropolitan Chicago Jewish community.  
 
This initiative represents a first-of-its-kind direct partnership between a local Jewish federation and the JSOCC, SCN’s 24/7 central hub for intelligence gathering, information sharing, threat monitoring, and analysis. The JSOCC employs a state-of-the-art proprietary technology stack called the Realtime Actionable Intelligence Network (Project RAIN) to identify potential risks, threats, and trends that could impact Jewish life and shares them with law enforcement and community partners on the ground in real time. 
 
At a time of unprecedented threats impacting the Jewish community across the United States, this partnership ensures direct open lines of communication between SCN’s national nerve center and JUF. The collaboration will enable JUF to both deposit requests for intelligence and receive early warnings of potential threats, enhance visible security measures, monitor special events, and integrate seamlessly into SCN’s model, utilizing the organization’s national partnerships and relationships to bolster the security capabilities of the Chicago Jewish community. 

This SCN-JUF partnership, privately funded, is designed to serve as a scalable and replicable model for other large cities looking to enhance their security frameworks. By demonstrating the effectiveness of integrating local intelligence capabilities with national security resources, this initiative aims to inspire similar collaborations with other large cities across North America. 

This first-of-its-kind collaboration with JUF puts Chicago at the forefront of an integrated national model for Jewish safety and security. By embedding an Intelligence Analyst within our JSOCC, we can offer the Chicago Jewish community tools and support that are only possible to utilize by operating within our nerve center. This model can be replicated in other large cities to enhance the security of Jewish communities across North America. We are always stronger when we work in close collaboration and communication to keep our community safe. 

Wendy Berger, SCN and JUF Board Member and Chair of JUF’s Jewish Community Relations Council

With antisemitic hate incidents and hate crimes surging in the metropolitan Chicago area, this partnership could not have come at a more important time. Chicago-area Jews, whether they live in Hyde Park or Highland Park, should be able to live public Jewish lives without fear of harassment or worse. This partnership will help make this a reality.

Michael H. Zaransky, JUF Board Member and Chair of JUF’s Security Committee

This SCN-JUF partnership, privately funded, is designed to serve as a scalable and replicable model for other large cities looking to enhance their security frameworks. By demonstrating the effectiveness of integrating local intelligence capabilities with national security resources, this initiative aims to inspire similar collaborations with other large cities across North America. 

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